Home
Advanced Search Map Locator
View Settings
Nurseries Carrying this Plant Add Current Plant To List Edit Current Plant
Show all Photos

About Calscape Nurseries
California Garden Planner Bay Area Garden Planner (NEW) Planting Guide
Butterflies My Plant Lists
Contact Calscape
Tap map to see plants native to location
Order by Popularity Order by Common Name Order by Scientific Name Order by # of Butterflies Hosted
Show nursery cultivars Hide nursery cultivars
Show plants not in nurseries Hide plants not in nurseries
Grid view Text view
Loading....
California Blackberry
Rubus ursinus
  
45 Nurseries Carry This Plant

About California Blackberry (Rubus ursinus) 45 Nurseries Carry This Plant Pacific Blackberry is a species in the Rosaceae (Rose) family that is native to a large part of western North America from Baja to Canada and from the coast to the Rocky Mountains. This is a wide, spreading shrub or vine-bearing bush with prickly branches, white flowers and edible fruits. This species is one of the original parents of the hybrids Loganberry and Boysenberry. Pacific Blackberry typically does not set fruit until the second year after planting, and it is typically dioeocious so that only the female plants produce fruit. The sweet-tart fruits are dark purple to black and up to 2 centimeters in length. They can be eaten raw, baked in pie or cobbler, or frozen. Seed size seems to be related to fruit "cell" size, and the smallest (1 centimeter) fully formed berries are most highly prized. The plant is a vigorous spreader that needs cool temperatures and high amounts of moisture to set large fruit. For this reason fruit production and flavor is generally inferior in the southernmost part of it range. Growing Pacific Blackberry requires some thought and care because its numerous prickles can make harvesting the fruits, weeding, pruning and other maintenance activities unpleasant.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Shrub, Vine

Size
Size
2 - 6 ft tall
6 ft wide

Form
Form
Upright, Spreading

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Fast

Dormancy
Dormancy
Winter Deciduous

Fragrance
Fragrance
Fragrant - Pleasant

Flower Color
Flower Color
White

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Spring, Winter

Wildlife Supported
 
Pacific Blackberry is attractive to a wide ranges of wildlife, from butterflies to bears.

 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 4 confirmed , 63 likely * ) SHOW ALL
Acleris britannia Image
Brittania Moth Acleris britanniaAcleris britannia
Argyrotaenia franciscana Image
Orange Tortrix Moth Argyrotaenia franciscanaArgyrotaenia franciscana
Acleris keiferi Image
Acleris keiferiAcleris keiferi
Schreckensteinia festaliella Image
Blackberry Skeletonizer Schreckensteinia festaliellaSchreckensteinia festaliella
*
Hyles lineata Image
White-lined Sphinx Hyles lineataHyles lineata
*
Autographa californica Image
Alfalfa Looper Moth Autographa californicaAutographa californica
*
Hemileuca eglanterina Image
Elegant Sheepmoth Hemileuca eglanterinaHemileuca eglanterina

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun, Part Shade, Full Shade

Moisture
Moisture
Moderate - High

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 1x / month once established

Nurseries
Nurseries
Carried by 45

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Very Easy

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 0° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Medium, Slow

Soil Description
Soil Description
Tolerates a variety of soils. Soil PH: 5.0 - 8.0

Common uses
Common uses
Groundcovers, Hedges, Bird Gardens

Companion Plants
Companion Plants
Best used away from foot traffic in locations where its numerous prickles will not be problematic. Use under trees such as Pines (Pinus sp.), Firs (Abies sp.), Oaks (Quercus sp.), Madrone (Arbutus sp.), Cottonwoods (Populus sp.), and Willows (Salix sp.), and with shrubs such as Dogwood (Cornus sp.), wild Roses (Rosa sp.), and Currant/Gooseberry (Ribes sp.).

Maintenance
Maintenance
Use caution - very prickly. Prune during winter dormancy to shape and control spread.

Propagation
Propagation?
From stem cuttings (canes).

Sunset Zones
Sunset Zones?
1, 2, 4*, 5*, 6*, 7*, 8, 9, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17*, 18, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Moist places such as stream banks, canyons, often as part of woodland understory

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 6.7" - 155.0", Summer Precipitation: 0.15" - 5.92", Coldest Month: 32.6" - 56.6", Hottest Month: 52.9" - 81.0", Humidity: 0.01" - 29.14", Elevation: -22" - 7419"


Print Plant Sign Print Plant Label
Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


Sign in to your Calscape Account X




Once signed in, you'll be able to access any previously saved plant lists or create new ones.

Email Address
Password

Sign In